VHP says tribunal order on Amarnath yatra ‘Tughlaki fatwa’

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday termed the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order, declaring the Amarnath cave as a “silence zone” and prohibiting religious offerings beyond the entry point to protect the area’s fragile ecosystem, a “Tughlaki fatwa” and said Hindus were not responsible for every ecological problem on earth.

“We appeal to the Government of India to stop hurting the Hindu religious sentiments all the time for one or the other reason and to get the NGT to withdraw such a Tughlaki fatwa at once,” VHP international president Pravin Togadia said.

The NGT on Wednesday declared the holy cave a “silence zone” and prohibited religious offerings beyond its entry point.

It also said that declaring the area around the cave shrine a “silence zone” would help prevent avalanches and maintain its pristine nature.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said the Amarnath Shrine Board should ensure that proper infrastructural facilities were provided to the pilgrims, so that they were not deprived of a clear “darshan”, and that the ecology of the area was maintained.

The NGT earlier said that declaring the area around the Amarnath cave shrine a “silence zone” would be helpful in preventing avalanches and maintaining its pristine nature.